Air conditioning system and method for high-voltage battery of vehicle

ABSTRACT

An air conditioning system of a high voltage battery for a vehicle and an air conditioning method using the same include a first heat exchanger arranged in a housing of the high-voltage battery and a first blower for blowing air around the first heat exchanger. A second heat exchanger is arranged on an external upper part of the housing of the high-voltage battery, and a second blower blows air around the second heat exchanger. A first surface of a Peltier cooler is in contact with the second heat exchanger. Cooling water circulates through a cooling line, and a first part of which is in contact with a second surface of the Peltier cooler extending downward, and a second part of the cooling line is connected to the first heat exchanger to exchange heat.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims the benefit of priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2013-0120887 filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Oct. 10, 2013, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an air conditioning system and method for a high-voltage battery of a vehicle capable of optimally maintaining the state of a high-voltage battery by increasing/decreasing a temperature of the high-voltage battery for an electric vehicle and a hybrid vehicle.

BACKGROUND

Generally, eco-friendly vehicles, such as an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, and a fuel cell vehicle, drive by using a motor and a high-voltage battery. However, the high-voltage battery can be over-heated when being charged or over-cooled in the wintertime, thereby deteriorating battery performance. Accordingly, an air conditioning technology is needed for high-voltage battery efficiency.

According to the related art, an air conditioning system utilizing existing refrigerant is used for cooling a battery through convection in which cooled internal air of a vehicle is inhaled and transferred to the battery.

However, according to the conventional art, a cooling load of an internal space increases, and heating function of the battery is not available while cooling the internal space.

Further, in the case of a heating/cooling configuration for simultaneously heating and cooling a battery, a Peltier cooler (thermoelectric element) is used. A Peltier heat exchanger is arranged on one side of a high-voltage battery, and fins for radiating waste heat to outside of the battery are arranged, wherein radiation efficiency is low when radiating the waste heat.

The description provided above as the related art of the present disclosure is to aid in understanding of the background of the present disclosure and should not be construed as being included in the related art that is already known by those skilled in the art.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure has been made in an effort to solve the problems of the related art. The present disclosure provides an air conditioning system of a high voltage battery for a vehicle and an air conditioning method using the same, capable of efficiently air-conditioning the high voltage battery by ensuring sufficient radiation heat of a Peltier cooler, without using indoor cooling/heating.

An air condition system of a high voltage battery for a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may include a first heat exchanger arranged in a housing of the high-voltage battery, and a first blower for blowing air around the first heat exchanger. A second heat exchanger is arranged on an external upper part of the housing of the high-voltage battery, and a second blower blows air around the second heat exchanger. A first surface of a Peltier cooler is connected and in contact with the second heat exchanger. Cooling water circulates through a cooling line. A first part of the cooling line is connected and in contact with a second surface of the Peltier cooler extending downward, and a second part of the cooling line is connected to the first heat exchanger to exchange heat.

The housing of the high-voltage battery may be arranged in a trunk room, the first blower discharges waste heat to the inside of the trunk room, and an air extractor is provided in the trunk room.

The housing of the high-voltage battery may have a closed-structure, and the first heat exchanger and the first blower are arranged inside the housing to air-condition the internal air of the housing, and the second part of the cooling line is inserted through the housing to be connected to the first heat exchanger.

The cooling line may be a cooling water pipe, without having a separate driver.

A plurality of radiation fins through which heat is exchanged with air may be provided on the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger.

The air conditioning system of a high voltage battery for a vehicle may further include a controller for controlling operations of the first blower, the second blower, and the Peltier cooler.

The controller may operate the first blower and the second blower when a low level cooling of the high-voltage battery is required.

The controller may operate all of the first blower, the second blower, and the Peltier cooler when a high level cooling of the high-voltage battery is required.

An air conditioning method of a high voltage battery for a vehicle using the air conditioning system may include a mode determining step for determining an air conditioning mode required for the high voltage battery. A high level cooling step operates the first blower and the second blower in the case of the high level cooling mode and controls the Peltier cooler to be cooled on a first surface thereof.

The air conditioning method of a high voltage battery for a vehicle may further include a low level cooling step for operating only the first blower and the second blower in the case of a low level cooling mode, after the mode determining step.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other features of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to certain exemplary embodiments thereof illustrated the accompanying drawings which are given hereinbelow by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective views showing an air conditioning system for a high-voltage battery of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a graph showing a flow amount of cooling water under an operationg of an air conditioning system for a high-voltage battery of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

It should be understood that the appended drawings are not necessarily to scale, presenting a somewhat simplified representation of various preferred features illustrative of the basic principles of the disclosure. The specific design features of the present disclosure as disclosed herein, including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, locations, and shapes will be determined in part by the particular intended application and environment.

In the figures, reference numbers refer to the same or equivalent parts of the present disclosure throughout the several figures of the drawing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Exemplary embodiments of an air conditioning system and method for a high-voltage battery of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure are described hereafter in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective views showing an air conditioning system for a high-voltage battery of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a graph showing a flow amount of cooling water under an operation of an air conditioning system for a high-voltage battery of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

An air conditioning system for a high-voltage battery of a vehicle according to the present disclosure includes a first heat exchanger 300 arranged in a housing 120 of the high-voltage battery 100 and a first blower 400 for blowing air around the first heat exchanger 300. A second heat exchanger 500 is arranged on an external upper part of the housing 120 of the high-voltage battery 100, and a second blower 600 blows air around the second heat exchanger 500. A first surface of a Peltier cooler 800 is connected and in contact with the second heat exchanger 500. Cooling water circulates through a cooling line 700 in which a first part of the cooling line 700 in contact with a second surface of the Peltier cooler 800 extending downward, and a second part of the cooling line 700 is connected to the first heat exchanger 300 exchanging heat.

As shown in FIG. 1, air enters inside a trunk room 20 of the vehicle through an inlet 10, and the air is discharged outside through an air extractor 30 through natural convection while driving the vehicle.

The high-voltage battery 100 of an eco-friendly vehicle is installed in the trunk room 20. The first heat exchanger 300 is provided, and the first blower 400 for blowing the air around the first heat exchanger 300 is provided in the housing 120 of the high-voltage battery 100. The first blower 400 blows the air toward the first heat exchanger 300 in the housing 120 of the high-voltage battery 100, allowing the internal air of the housing 120 of the high-voltage battery 100 to be air-conditioned and circulated.

The second heat exchanger 500 is provided on an external upper part of the housing 120 of the high voltage battery 100. The second blower 600 for blowing the air is provided around the second heat exchanger 500. In an embodiment, the second heat exchanger 500 is disposed near the inlet 10 of the trunk room 20, wherein a shielding plate 50 may be provided to prevent direct heat exchange. Additionally, since the second heat exchanger 500 is disposed near the inlet 10 of the trunk room 20, the second heat exchanger 500 exchanges the heat by directly inhaling the air, allowing the Peltier cooler 800 to radiate heat easily. Waste heat is discharged outside through the air extractor 30 of the trunk room 20.

The Peltier cooler 800 refers to a thermoelectric element, wherein the first surface of which is heated while the second surface is cooled. The second surface is cooled while the first surface is heated when electricity is applied thereto, and the first surface is connected and in contact with the second heat exchanger 500. Through this configuration, when cooling is needed in the second heat exchanger 500, the cooling water is cooled in the second heat exchanger 500 in accordance to an operation of the Peltier cooler 800.

The cooling line 700 refers to a line through which the cooling water circulates. A first part of which is connected to be in contact with the second surface of the Peltier cooler 800 extending downward, and a second part of which is connected to the first heat exchanger 300 to exchange the heat. Further, the cooling line 700 may be a cooling water pipe without having a separate driver.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the cooling water cooled by the Peltier cooler 800 naturally flows downward under the convection. The cooling water disposed on a lower part, which is heated by the first heat exchanger 300, flows upward with the convention, and thus, all of the cooling water circulates without a water pump.

The housing 120 of the high-voltage battery 100 is arranged in the trunk room 20. The first blower 400 discharges the waste heat to the inside of the trunk room 20, and the air extractor 30 may be provided in the trunk room 20. Further, the housing 120 of the high-voltage battery 100 may have a closed-structure. The first heat exchanger 300 and the first blower 400 are arranged inside the housing 120 to air-condition the internal air of the housing 120. Here, the second part of the cooling line 700 is inserted through the housing 120 to be connected to the first heat exchanger 300. Additionally, a plurality of radiation fins through which heat is exchanged with air may be provided on the first and second heat exchangers 300 and 500 to facilitate heat exchange with the air.

The air conditioning system of a high-voltage battery for a vehicle may include a controller 900 for controlling operations of the first and second blowers 400 and 600 and the Peltier cooler 800. In the case of the high-voltage battery 100, light or strong cooling is variably needed depending on its necessity, wherein the controller 900 may operate the first blower 400 and the second blower 600 when a low level cooling of the high-voltage battery 100 is required. FIG. 1 shows the low level cooling of the high-voltage battery. Since cooling water convention is possible to some extent through the operations of the first blower 400 and the second blower 600, the Peltier cooler 800 does not operate to save fuel while maintaining temperature of the battery. Only the low level cooling is required under most driving situations, and thus, energy for driving the Peltier cooler and the water pump can be saved with a great efficiency.

As shown in FIG. 2, a controller 900 may operate all of the first blower 400, the second blower 600, and the Peltier cooler 800 when a high level cooling of the high voltage battery 100 is required. In this case, since active cooling through the Peltier cooler 800 is introduced, the cooling water on a lower part of the cooling line 700 may become hotter, and the cooling water at a side of the Peltier cooler 800 may become cooler, and thus, a flow amount of the cooling water under convention may be increased.

That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the flow amount of the cooling water is higher in the low level cooling where the blowers are operated than in case where the blowers are not operated. The high level cooling has the highest flow amount of the cooling water under convention due to a great temperature difference.

A method of air conditioning a high-voltage battery for a vehicle using the air conditioning system may include a mode determining step for determining an air conditioning mode required for a high voltage battery. A high level cooling step operates the first blower 400 and the second blower 600 in the case of the high level cooling mode and controls the Peltier cooler 800 to be cooled on a first surface thereof. That is, the air conditioning mode including the low level cooling mode and the high level cooling mode is determined. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2, in the case of the high level cooling mode, the first blower 400 and the second blower 600 are operated, and the Peltier cooler 800 is cooled on the first surface thereof.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, in the case of the low level cooling mode, the low level cooling step is performed by only operating the first blower 400 and the second blower 600.

According to the air conditioning system of a high-voltage battery for a vehicle and the method using the same as configured in the foregoing, the radiation heat of the Peltier cooler can be sufficiently ensured without operating inside cooling/heating, thereby efficiently air-conditioning the high voltage battery.

Additionally, the waste heat of the Peltier cooler is discharged in a water cooling type, and thus, the performance of the system can be further improved than an air discharging type (2˜5 times increased as compared with the air discharging type). Furthermore, the heat is exchanged through natural ventilation to use minimum energy. The cooled inside air is not used, and thus, a cooling load on an air conditioner of an existing vehicle can be reduced. Additionally, a water pump is not used, and thus, fuel ratio of the vehicle can be improved.

The disclosure has been described in detail with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof. However, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the disclosure, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An air conditioning system of a high voltage battery for a vehicle, the system comprising: a first heat exchanger arranged in a housing of the high-voltage battery and a first blower for blowing air around the first heat exchanger; a second heat exchanger arranged on an external upper part of the housing of the high-voltage battery and a second blower for blowing air around the second heat exchanger; a Peltier cooler a first surface of which is connected and in contact with the second heat exchanger; and a cooling line through which cooling water circulates, the cooling line having a first part of which is connected and in contact with a second surface of the Peltier cooler extending downward, and a second part of which is connected to the first heat exchanger to exchange heat.
 2. The air conditioning system of claim 1, wherein the housing of the high-voltage battery is arranged in a trunk room and the first blower discharges waste heat to the inside of the trunk room, and an air extractor is provided in the trunk room.
 3. The air conditioning system of claim 1, wherein the housing of the high-voltage battery has a closed-structure and the first heat exchanger and the first blower are arranged inside the housing to air-condition internal air of the housing, and the second part of the cooling line is inserted through the housing to connect to the first heat exchanger.
 4. The air conditioning system of claim 1, wherein the cooling line is a cooling water pipe without having a separate driver.
 5. The air conditioning system of claim 1, wherein a plurality of radiation fins through which the heat is exchanged with the air are provided on the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger.
 6. The air conditioning system of claim 1, further comprising a controller for controlling operations of the first blower, the second blower, and the Peltier cooler.
 7. The air conditioning system of claim 6, wherein the controller operates the first blower and the second blower when a low level cooling of the high-voltage battery is required.
 8. The air conditioning system of claim 6, wherein the controller operates all of the first blower, the second blower, and the Peltier cooler when a high level cooling of the high-voltage battery is required.
 9. An air conditioning method of a high voltage battery for a vehicle using the air conditioning system of claim 1, the method comprising; a mode determining step for determining an air conditioning mode that is required for the high voltage battery; and a high level cooling step for operating the first blower and the second blower in the case of a high level cooling mode, and controlling the Peltier cooler to be cooled on the first surface thereof.
 10. The air conditioning method of a high voltage battery for a vehicle of claim 9, further comprising a low level cooling step for operating only the first blower and the second blower in case of a low level cooling mode, after the mode determining step. 